Technologies such as cellular (e.g., GSM, CDMA, LTE), Wi-Fi, radio frequency identification (RFID), and near field communication (NFC) each allow wireless communication between electronic devices. However, radio frequency wireless communication technologies each have drawbacks. Coverage area wireless technologies such as cellular or Wi-Fi can suffer in areas of poor signal penetration or without a nearby access point, such as in remote areas, within buildings, or underground. Short-range wireless technologies such as NFC require hardware that may not be supported by all devices. Additionally, data transactions over radio frequency networks may be subject to eavesdropping or interception by third parties.
Therefore, what is desired is a system, method and device for performing wireless data transactions using mobile devices that avoids the drawbacks inherent in RF wireless technology.